Starting device for internal-combustion engines.



W. W. DtM! STAiHMi LIM/IC? NIH INTERNAL CUMBUSTUN ENGINES.

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v B 'X om MWL Original application filed May 10, 1911, Serial No. 626,258. Divided and this application g l Serial No. 731,482.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

WILLIAM W'. DEAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, 'ASSIGNCR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO {DI-IE GARFORI) MANUFACTURING COMPANY, QI? EL3/TRIS., OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

i To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. DEAN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Chii cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use`- ful Improvements in Starting Devices for Internal-Combustion Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, 'and exa-ct description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. l

My invention relates to starting devices for internal combustion engines, my main objectbeingfthe elimination of the so-called v crankinginvogue now, and which constitutes themanual starting of the engine by rotating the shaft or other normally driven member capable of communicating motion to the essential parts of the machine. The practice is wellknown in connection with automobile engines, as such machines are commonly provided with a crank in the front part of the machine for this purpose.-

This operation starts the performance of the various functions of the different parts of the engine and once started, these parts conltinue the performance with the resultthat )the engine continues to operate without furduties in starting, which would otherwisebe ther cranking untilj.-it has been allowed to run down.

The engine may be started .by what is known as spinning the engine shaft by "means of an electric motor'or other sultable driving device, thus substituting the `motor for the manual operation. This offers considerable diiliculties and does not guarantee success under all conditions. l

One of the objects of my invention is to provide means fory relieving the'motor on other driving device employed from certain imposed upon it under the conditions named in order to insure success at each starting.v

Every prime mover must overcome a certain` amount of running load which is due to fric- Y tion of its parts, etc., and in an explosion engine, includes drawing the charge into the sparking apparatus, overcoming pressure 1n the cylinders,etc., all of which must be overcome when the engine is running free from any external load.v This I call forcon-v venience the internal or running load. It is, as will be plainly seen, desirable to ire- Specication of Letters Patent.

STARTING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

lieve the prime mover and the starting de- Ifatend Mar. 2o, 1917.

iled November 15,l i

vice of as much of this load as possible when y the prime mover is' being starte In order to realize this object, I may substitute for the carburetor or other charge preparing-'and introducing means, commonly employed upon internal combustion." engines, some means for inserting a chargeindependently 0f the carbureter. Y f 1 y AHOther Object of my invention is to simi j plify the starting of the prime mover Aby centralizlng the control over theI various units vemployed in that act.

How this is' done in the particular form illustrated will' so driven operate as dynamos` to charge storage batteries or perform other functions, I may utilize this kind .of a device'for starting a. driven element of the engine so as to set the parts in motion when the rcharge is introduced to the cylinders. I have found it better to change the ratio between the connecting means through which the engine and.

the motor 'may drive -one another v'when I start the connecting means, as the motor is then better enabled to move the driven part of the engine from rest.

-Other objects of my invention and the 'in-5 I vention itself will be best understood by re- K ferring to the following description when taken. in connection with the accompanying illustration showing one specific embodiment of my invention, while the scope of the invention will be more articularly pointed outv infthe appended claims.

This application is a division of my application ##6262538, filed May 10th, 1911.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the apparatus and the circuits of my invention.

Fig..2 is a cross section through the conf necting means connecting the engine and the motor. Y v y i Referring now. to the "drawings and to the embodimentof my invention showntherein,

' I show at l a prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine, such, for example, asis employed to drive automobiles, motor yboats,'etc. The cylinders of this engine are shown at 2. The shaft which constitutes one of the normally driven members, is shown at 3, while a balance wheel is shown upon this Ishaft at 4. The general construction and operation of this engine is well known and constitutes no part of my invention. I will not describe it, except to say that as is well known, pistons work within the cylinder 2, and in addition to driving the shaft 3, compress the charge and are themselves driven by the explosion, thus constituting in themselves, driven members. At 5 I show the charge preparing means which is commonly used in connection with such engines. This device, which may be a carbureter is used when the engine is working under normal conditions to introduce fuel or an explosive charge into the engine, where it is ignited by an electric spark. or other` suitable means and exploded. Duets 6-6 are shown leading from the device 5 into the engine. At 7 l show a special means for introducing a charge into the engine when it is desired to start the same. l prefer to introduce the fuel as such, into the engine by this means, though the charge may be mixed before introduction, if desirable. Duets 8 lead from the device 7 to ports 9 in the cylinders 2 where they enter the cylinders. Valves 10 are placed in these ducts, preferably in the ports 9. These valves permit the charge introduced by thedevice 7 to pass into 'the engine, but will prevent the passage of gas or other substances from the engine back to the ducts 8.

At 31 I show a machine, which it will, for the sake of convenience here show as an electric dynamo, though the same is adapted to be and in fact is used either as a motor or a generator, in one case serving to `transform electrical energy into mechanical energy and in the second case transform mechanical energy into electrical energy. 'llhis machine is normally driven by the engine 1 through the shaft 3 and motion transmission means 32 here shown as a set of intermeshing gears, one gear wheel 33 being fastened to the engine shaft 3 and a second, 34', loosely jour naled upon a shaft 34 of the motor. Means are employed for fastening the wheel 34: to the shaft 34, here shown as a friction clutch 35, though any suitable means may be employed for this purpose. "llhe frictionclutch is keyed to the shaft by what is known as a sliding key 36, the key being preferably mounted upon the clutch wheel 3L! anda channel corresponding thereto being shown at 37 upon the axle 3ft. rlhe wheel 35 is chan neled at la() and a forked arm a1 which is pivo'ted to the frame piece t2 by a pivot t3 fits with its prongs in a channel 40 controlling `the movement of the wheel 35 along the shaft 34. When thus driven by the engine, the machine serves las a dynamo to charge the storage battery accumulator lo or to op remesa crate the lamps 45, a circuit being completed through the machine 31 and the switch 47, which is closed after the motor reaches a certain speed. A second motion transmission means for transmitting motion from the motor 31 to the engine is shown at 50 and preferably consists of a set of gears, one wheel 51 being fastened upon the shaft 3 of the engine and a second wheel 52 being loosely mounted upon the dynamo shaft 34:. This wheel is provided with a friction surface 53 adapted to engage a friction surface 5l upon the friction wheel 35. `When the lever 41 is thrown to a left hand position, shown in F ig. 1, the friction surfaces 53 and 54 will engage coupling up the second motion transmitting means and disconnecting the first set. motion transmitting means is greater than the ratio between the first set, in the form of transmission means shown in' the drawing. ,This will be understood by explaining that the ratio between the diameter of the wheels 51 and 50 is greater than the ratio between the diameter of the wheels 33 and 34. rlhe lever -11 is connected to the piston rods 23 by any suitable means, preferably as shown in the drawing by a link which is pivoted at G1 to the lever 41 and at 62 to a member 63 employed in the form of my invention shown to unite the various piston rods 23.' A spring normally holds the lever arln and the friction clutch wheel 35 in the position'shown in the drawing, coupling up the engine and the motor through the rst transmission means, as is also shown in the drawing. An `armature is mounted upon the lever 41. rl`he Alever 41 is adapted to be actuated through the armature 70 by an electrically controlled device 71 which may be, as shown in the drawing an electron'iagnet, connected when the motor is at rest through a conductor 7:2 with the battery 4G. At 73 l show an automatic circuit controller, which in the form illustrated consists of a spring 74 mounted at one end upon the shaft 34 of the dynamo and insulated as shown at 75 from said shaft. A ball 7G is mounted upon the free end of the spring. rfhis spring normally engages a contact 77 connected to a conductor 73 with the electromagnet 71 and with a second contact 7 S) connected through a conductor 80 with a switch 31. The connection with these two contacts is made when the motor is at rest and obtains until the motor reaches a. predetermined speed, when owing to a centrifugal force, the ball 76 draws away vfrom the shaft, opening this circuit and later closing a circuit through a contact 8st.

ll/ ty device will be best understood from a description of the operation of the same. ln the normal condition, illustrated in Fig. 1, the charge of fuel which it is desired to introduce into the engine to start the same,

rl`he ratio between the second lao `will flow from the reservoir 23 through the duct :26, into the cylinders filling the same, and if conditions are suitable, up into the pipes 8. IVlien it is desired to start the engine, the switch 8l is closed completing a circuit through ground at G-81-80--T9 74-77-78-71-72-46to ground at G1. The magnet 71Vis energized, attracting its armature 70, overcoming the tension of the spring 65, forcing in the pistons and intro-` ducing a charge of fuel into the cylinder of the engine, as will be clear from the previous description. In the form shown, this acts as an injector though it will be obvious that I may introduce fuel by any suitable method which is within the scope of the appended claims. The shifting of the lever 41 also moves the clutch wheel 85 to the left hand position, uncoupling the gear wheel 8i from the shaft 3l and coupling the gear wheel 5:2 with said shaft so that the dynamo is now connected with the engine through the second motion transmission means. At the same time that the` circuit was completed through the magnet 71, a circuit was completed through the dynamo and the storage battery 31.6 as follows; ground at G- switch 81 conductor 80-79-'74-100- 31-101--1G to ground at G1. The dynamo 31 will be driven by current from the battery 46 and motion from the dynamo shaft will be transmitted through the means 50 to the engine 1, moving parts thereon from rest i and causing the explosion of the charge of fuel introduced as described. This will start the engine to operate independently of the device 7, the charge of fuel for the subsequent operations being introduced through the carburetor 5, as usual. As soon as the dynamo 3l has reached a predetermined speed, the circuit controller 7l will interrupt the circuits through the magnet 71 and the motor 31, whereupon the battery 46 will be cut off from the motor and the springs 65 will retract the lever 41, returning the clutch wheel 35 to the position shown in the drawing, uncoupling the second motion transmission means 50 and coupling up the first motion transmission means 32. The circuit controller will further close the switch 47, completing a circuit from Gr1 through the battery 46-101-31-100--74-84-to ground at G3. The electric machine 31 being now driven as a dynamo by the engine, serves to charge the storage battery 46. When the engine is stopped, the parts will return to the positions shown in the drawings.

It will be obvious that I may employ any suitable motion transmission means, any suitable clutch device and any suitable automatic circuit controller in connection with my invention and that the invention may be employed with any form of internal combustion engine. It will also be obvious that numerous and extensive departures from the forms and the details of the apparatus here shown may be made without departing from the spirit of this invention, the saine being herein shown solely for the purpose of clearly illustrating one specific embodiment thereof. y

1. In combination with an internall combustion engine, a starter comprising a motor, power transmitting mechanism between the engine and motor comprising two members, one of which is movable into and out of engagement with the other, mechanism adapted to be controlled by the operator for establishing driving relation between the motor and engine, and means for rendering said mechanism inoperative when the engine is in operation.

2. In combination with an internalcombustion engine, a starter comprising a motor, power transmitting mechanism between the engine and motor comprising two members, one of which is movable into and out of engagement wit-h the other, mechanical mechanism for establishing driving relation between the motor and engine, electrically controlled means governed by the operator for causing the operation of said mechanism .l

controlled means for rendering said clutch inoperative when the engine is in operation.

4. In combination with an internal combustion engine, a starter comprising a motor, power transmitting mechanism between the motor and engine comprising twomembers, one of which is movable into and out of engagement with the other, a Starter controlling member, mechanism for placing the movable member of the power transmitting mechanism under the controlof the starter" controlling member, said last named mechanism including two members adapted to be connected and disconnected, and means for causing the disconnection of said parts whenl one of which is movable into and out of enmember o1 he power ti'zinsn'iitting mechanism under the control of said starter con trolled member, said lest named means including two parte adapted to be connected and disconnected, und means for causing the'l disconnection of said pai-ts after the engine begins to operate undeil its own power.

In testimony whereof, I have uixed my signature in the preeence of two Witnesses.

lWHLLMV W. DEAN. Witnessesz ,ROBERT LEWIS AMES,

MABEL REYNOLDS. 

